Catholic family with 13 boys welcomes #14

The well-known Kent County couple with 13 sons has welcomed another baby into the family and — you guessed it — it’s another son.

Jay and Kateri Schwandt on Wednesday, April 18 announced the birth of a baby boy weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces and 21 inches long.

The baby was born shortly before 6 p.m. and came early, five days before Kateri Schwandt’s expected due date.

A story about the family a few years back turned a spotlight on their Catholic faith:

“In the midst of all that I think ‘it’s going to settle down’ because it always does,” Kateri laughs. “I’ve always felt God equips us with what we need in the situation that he puts us in.”

Jay refers to Kateri as the “spiritual pillar” of the family. Kateri has been a catechist at the parish for 12 years and she and Jay participate in perpetual adoration.

“I look forward to it because of just life and raising a family and everything that comes with it,” she says. “When I miss [perpetual adoration] I feel like I’m running on low.”

Jay usually schedules an hour of adoration on Monday morning at 2 a.m., a time when he can be fairly assured of few to no interruptions.

Now in their early 40s, the goodhumored couple catch up with each other during what they call “stolen moments” – short walks down the driveway, or 10 minutes together on the back porch while the older boys watch the younger ones.

“Marriage, like anything else, evolves,” says Kateri. “Just like professionals have to do their continuing education, you constantly have to feed your marriage.”

They’re purposeful in making time to connect and try to do it in ways that include their faith. Setting a good example for their children includes participation in Sunday Mass.

“I think that we are very fortunate,” says Jay. “We get people all the time who tell us, ‘Oh my goodness, these boys are so good.’” Though meltdowns inevitably occur, with the older boys to lend a hand and help set an example, the younger children quickly learn that Mass is the focus.

“By the time they’re 4 or 5 years old, when it’s time to stand, they stand; when it’s time to kneel, they kneel,” says Jay. “They’ve learned that’s how you act in church.”